For the Calgary Stampeders, though, a win is a win and that’s never been more true than it was against the Ottawa Redblacks when they grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat and a 17-16 win..

Maybe the Redblacks (2-4) gifted the Stampeders (4-2) an opportunity to steal the victory when they opted to concede a safety in the final minute when they were up by four points.

The decision was hard to justify, and Campbell will be facing questions all week about why he opened the door for the Stampeders.

But it’s worth remembering that even after the Redblacks conceded the safety to cut their lead to two, the Stampeders still needed to receive a kickoff and then move the ball into field-goal range for Rene Paredes to seal the deal.

The opening might have been a bit of a gift, but the Stamps still needed to take advantage.

“I take away that we’ve got a lot of fight,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson. “We’re not anywhere close to a team that is clicking on all cylinders, (but) I’m pressed with, well, our guys just keep believing.

“I thought we did OK in all three phases. Usually, when you don’t have at least a phase (where you) take the lead it’s going to be tough, but it was a back and forth game and I could feel after they took the safety that we had a chance and I thought they executed and did a nice job.”

There’s really no use trying to do a play-by-play here.

Here are the basics.

In the first half, both teams kicked three field goals and they each also turned the ball over three times. It wasn’t pretty.

In the second, the Redblacks scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Jonathon Jennings found Brad Sinopoli in the endzone. Those were their only points after halftime.

The Stamps, meanwhile, kicked two field goals and got two points when the Redblacks conceded the safety with 1:14 left on the clock.

It was enough — and there’s not really many other highlights to describe, honestly.

The stars of the game were ultimately the kickers.

The Redblacks’ Lewis Ward was lights-out, just like he always is, and went 3-for-3.

With his grandmother from Peru in the stands watching him play for the first time ever, meanwhile, Paredes completed five-of-six, including the game-winning 31-yarder as time expired.

“When you’ve got Rene, as long as we can get in the proximity we can trust him,” said Stamps receiver Reggie Begelton. “Big-time.”

While few fans will spend a lot of time reviewing the offensive highlights from Thursday’s game, the Stampeders were pleased with the performance they got out of an offence that was playing under difficult circumstances.

Offensive lineman Shane Bergman, receiver Juwan Brescacin and running back Ka’Deem Carey all went down before halftime and did not return. They’re all starters and they’re all major contributors to what the Stampeders do offensively.

Despite their absence, QB Nick Arbuckle completed 30-of-37 passes for 370 yards. He didn’t throw for any touchdowns, but he also didn’t throw any interceptions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Stamps did what they needed to do. Robertson Daniel and DaShaun Amos each had interceptions, and the unit limited Jennings, who completed 15-of-18 passes for only 125 yards.

This was far from a perfect win, though.

It might not even have been a win if Campbell hadn’t directed his team to concede the safety and open the door to the Stampeders.

Dickenson, though, urged caution for people looking to condemn the Redblacks’ head coach.

“When it doesn’t work out, that’s when it’s the wrong decision,” Dickenson said. “He felt confident in his defence and they’d been playing well against us. He’s got a big-legged kicker and we weren’t returning very well. When you make a decision and it doesn’t work out, you’re gonna have to take it as a head coach. I’ve done it many times, you go with your guy, you go with what you believe.”

Regardless of how they got the win, it was a big one for the Stampeders.

At 4-2, it means that at the very worst they’ll head into next weekend’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos tied with their provincial rival — depending on the result of Thursday’s late game between the Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts.

The Stampeders are about to enter a brutal stretch of the schedule that will see them play three of their next five games against the Eskimos, with a game against the West Division-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers two weeks from now and another one against the resurgent Montreal Alouettes in the middle of August.

They’ll need to play better to win those, but they proved something to themselves Thursday night.

“Games like that build team unity,” Begelton said. “I’m just glad we came out with the win, it shows that we can complete a game and come together, especially during adversity. It just means a lot for us to see that.”

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